Tag Archives: queries

Last night, the Write-Brained Network hosted its first live chat since moving back to Ning.

The topic was broad—query and agent-related support—but we kept a good convo going.

The gist . . .

One of the reasons we chose this particular topic for the chat was because of a question a Write-Brainiac had: How do you know know when to heed an agent’s advice in terms of making changes to your manuscript? This particular writer was talking about when one gets a personalized rejection—not when one gets an editorial letter or something, etc.

Some of the suggestions from the group:

Always. An agent knows what sells and what will make your book more salable. That is why you are querying an agent in the first place.

When the feedback resonates with you.

As we talked, I extended this idea of resonating to not just agent feedback, but for all feedback you receive—be it from betas, crit partners, your writing group, your mom, agents, or editors.

As I have been preparing to query myself (and, therefore, getting lots of feedback on my manuscript from multiple sources), I have thought much on this subject.

It seems like, at least for me, whenever I write something, I have certain insecurities with it—things that tug at my guts a little, and I’ll think, “If this scoots past X, Y, and Z betas, then it must be okay.” Many times, those are the things X, Y, and Z betas mention as items to change, cut, condense, or expand. So, when I get their feedback, it resonates—and I know it’s not just my writerly insecurities being all OCD. (Sometimes that is the case, however!)

On the topic of resonating . . .

Sometimes you’ll get feedback that you never would have considered or recognized yourself. (This is why you need to get feedback, people!) It’s a subjective business, and sometimes someone will come up with a killer idea or ask a question that spawns a twist you hadn’t anticipated—but that is a good problem to have. If it resonates, if you can see how incorporating the suggestion would make the book better, then, I say, do it!

More from the chat . . .

Another Write-Brainiac asked about nonfiction books and whether or not the writer should secure the rights to photographs prior to querying agents, or if that is the agent’s job.

This was a bit of a stumper. We discussed it as best we could—I gave some suggestions based on what I know of related situations, but none of us pretended to be experts in this area. If you *are*, please leave advice in the comments!

My immediate response to this was that, the closer a writer comes to having everything in placebefore he queries, the more professional and “together” the writer will appear to the agent. Less work for the agent = happier agent, etc.

Most picture books begin with the story, unless you have a legal relationship with the illustrator (it’s you, your relative, your spouse).

If there’s no legal relationship and you’re trying to suggest an illustrator in your proposal, it’s like a siren screaming “AMATEUR” (=rejection).

Many times, pub houses will pair a newer author with a more established illustrator to increase the book’s chances of selling.

If you can do both (you don’t just “doodle”), you should; just make sure your proposal is professional.

Many agents want author/illustrators (because it’s less people to pay and more of a cut of the money for them).

Also, I know that, when my Writer’s Digest Books editor, Chuck Sambuchino, wrote his Gnomes book—which is a nonfiction, humor book—he wasn’t expected to have the photos with it. The publisher, Ten Speed Press, chose photographers to take pictures, and Chuck and his agent were able to pick their favorite from there. (I also understand that the author having a say in that kind of thing isn’t common.)

Along the lines of securing rights, if there are specific photos you want and *you* are taking them (and there’s a reason you are the only one who can take said photos), I believe you technically already own the rights to them, as soon as the picture is snapped. Same thing with writing. Yes, you can register something with the U.S. Copyright office, but you actually “own” something as soon as you write it.

However, the WBer with the question was actually asking about photos of a structure that no longer exists—so it’s not as though new photos can be taken of it. From what I know and what I’ve read*, my instincts lead me back to my initial answer—that the writer should have the rights secured before querying the agent.

As well, Christine Macdonaldoffers six tips to help you combat procrastination.

You know that whole multitasking thing you’re doing? Here, Writing for Digital discusses how he’s thought multitasking has helped him—but he also mentions some studies that suggest it can work against creativity and productivity. V. interesting!

As my writing group and crit partners know, I’m quick to point out unnecessary dialogue tags. *Ahem—most of them are unnecessary. When you *must* tag, however, it’s better to do so through an action sentence.

To cliff hang (at the ends of chapters) or not to cliff hang? Ray Rhameyshares his thoughts over at Writer Unboxed.

Agent of awesome Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agencyanswers a reader’s question about scene and chapter length as well as where to break.

CHILD’S PLAY

Middle-grade novels are hot right now, and “boy books” are even more sought after by agents and editors. Here, Kole discusses character and voice in MG boy books as well as touches on what author Hannah Moskowitz calls “The Boy Problem.”

This week, it was announced that a “politically correct” version of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is to be released. A former student of mine, Dan Wilbur, runs the blog Better Book Titles, and here is his answer to that.

“In the Blogosphere” is a series, which lists links to writing-related blogs I’ve stumbled upon throughout a given week (usually).

I’m admittedly behind with my Blogosphere posts—I have about 50 links saved, dating all the way back to May (oh noes!)—but they are all still worth a look. I’ll catch up eventually, right?

QUERIES

Querying/pitching is up there in terms of the most discussed topics on industry blogs and at writing conferences. I find it always helps me to look at others’ queries in order to better gauge what does and doesn’t work with my own pitches.

Here, at The Public Query Slushpile, fellow Ohioan Rick Daley has dedicated an entire forum to queries and feedback. The idea of the blog being? Leave feedback on others’ queries. Post your queries.* Get feedback from others. It’s that simple. The site isn’t exactly like Janet Reid’s Query Shark or Jodi Meadows’s Query Project (in that it’s not just industry pros offering feedback—it’s an open forum for all), but the entries do get a good amount of feedback from readers. And we are all trying to appeal to readers after all, are we not? Check it out!

Who says slush can't be delicious?

Over on her blog, Canuck mathematics textbook writer (<—Yes, I included that part for my math-ed professor hubs!) Cheryl Angstcompiles and comments on a list of 10 things Howard Morhaim Literary Agency’s Kate McKean tweeted as things that she thinks while she reads queries. Very interesting read!

Going along with the two, more regular, query workshops above, D4EO agent Mandy Hubbard conducted her own query clinic back in May. Here is the post where she discusses the concept, and here is the last in the series (I’ve included this one because she links to all four of the queries she workshopped in it).

TICK TOCK

Summer seems to be about the hardest time of year to find butt-in-chair-and-write time.

Here, YA paranormal romance author Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver, Linger, etc.) offers some thoughtful advice on how writers can to best manage their time.

And, um, how random is this? Molly is famous! About a month ago, Annalemma Magazine used a picture of Molly (my beagly beagle) in an article they did about online writing communities. The caption says that that pic was the first to come up when they Google image searched online writing community! (It looks like she’s since been ousted, however. It’s on the fourth page.)

You're not the only famous beagle!

—

*There is a debate about whether or not to post your original work online. It’s up to you. Enough industry blogs host contests or query workshops all the time where people post their original queries, so I wouldn’t necessarily worry about someone stealing your work . . . but it *can* happen. It would probably be pretty easy to prove your query was yours, though—particularly if you posted in on the Internet. If you’d like feedback from other writers but you’re wary of posting your work on an open forum, try a password-encrypted, by-invitation-only community like *shameless plug* Shenandoah Writers Online!

“Pointers from the Pros” gives tips from authors and publishing industry professionals on everything from craft to querying to their experiences on the road to publication. This post is by guest columnist and SWO member Alicia Caldwell.

Back in May, lit agent Kate Schafer Testerman of kt literaryhosted a picture-prompt contest on her blog, and fellow SWO member Alicia Caldwell tied with another writer for first place.* This earned Alicia a 30-minute phone conversation with the agent extraordinaire—and Schafer Testerman agreed to let Alicia share some of her tips with us.

KST: From queries or referrals. Normally, when meeting authors in person, I generally tell them to send me a query and sample pages anyway.

A.C.: Have you ever taken on a client that you weren’t able to get published?

KST: Yes. But then we would try with another book, and usually that one is successful. I did have one client that I wasn’t able to get published, and the author didn’t want to keep changing the story. That client decided to go with another agent. I haven’t heard that it has been published yet.

A.C.: Do you refrain from telling people you’re a literary agent in fear they’re going to try and hand you their manuscript?

KST: Sometimes, in certain social situations. But I don’t always mind.

A.C.: What do you get sick of seeing, story-line wise?

KST: There’s only one person in all the universe that can save the world. If you can tell the story without it being paranormal, then do it.

A.C.: Why did you leave Janklow & Nesbit Associates to go out on your own?

KST: I got married and moved across the country. I thought about applying for other companies, but I had heard wonderful things from friends who had started their own agencies, so I went for it. I was able to take a lot of clients with me, so I didn’t have a difficult start.

A.C.: How long should a synopsis be?

KST: Two to five pages for a synopsis. You should tell all the pressing action of the book and the struggles the characters go through to get there. Don’t leave anything out—including the end.

A.C.: And a query letter?

KST: A shorter query is better because of the number of queries I receive. It should contain two normal-sized paragraphs and an extra paragraph about you. Start with why I should be interested in your book—the hook. At the bottom, enter the word count and title of the book.

A.C.: In following your query critiques, I’ve noticed you’d like us to show you why a reader should care about the characters and what’s original about the story.

KST: It’s a balance. You need to talk about action, but at the same time, show us what is different about the character. Harry Potter was another version of the same story about an orphan, but we learned to love the character himself—and that’s what drew us in.

A.C.: You wrote The King’s Sister: A Novel of Arthurian Britain. Why didn’t you write more books?

KST: I ended up self-publishing that one. Looking back at it now, I can see why I couldn’t get it published. There was something missing from the story.

I’ve worked on a couple of other novels and stories, but I decided I want to concentrate on other writers’ careers right now, not my own!

A.C.: Are there any upcoming conferences you will be attending, where writers can meet you in person?

You know, I sort of think this is kind of a fabulous blog post. Writer and part-time doctor Lydia Kang of The Word is My Oyster says: Stop apologizing! Chuck that qualifying language and strengthen your writing.

I’m a little behind with my Blogosphere posts—I saved this one two months ago!!—but it’s too good not to share. Young adult fantasy author Jodi Meadows of the Query Projectgave us a gift on her birthday: the query she wrote for Erin Incarnate that helped her snag fab agent Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency.

If you’re looking for something just as satisfying but a little more flexible and a little more long-term, check out my new writing SWO program, WordWatchers. Pick a weekly word count goal, and divvy up the words written per day in a way that fits your schedule!

OMG

In honor of Eclipse coming out this week . . . if you thought the people who stand in lines for twelve hours to see the Twilight movies were wonky, you weren’t wrong—but there are wonkier folks out there. Here, Great White Snark gives us a dozen such psychopaths.

“You Have a Question? I Have an Answer” is a feature that answers real questions from real writers.

Q: Ricki,

I’ve been told my WIP is too long. I am currently trying to decide if I should edit it down to more agent-friendly word count or split it into two books. The trouble is, if I were to split it, the first book would end on a such a cliffhanger that it would most certainly require a sequel. I just don’t think it would stand alone. That said, what are your thoughts on querying a series?

–L.H.

A: Thanks for the question!

In terms of ending on a cliffhanger, I can see how that might be tough to hook an agent as a stand-alone novel. The first thing I’d say is—certainly—splitting a longer manuscript into two books isn’t going to be as simple as pasting half into one Word document and half into another.

Doing the splits with your manuscript isn't easy!

I’ve talked about this before on the blog: You’ve got to have two plots, or arcs—and you’ll want to make sure the first one is resolved because, in a series, each book must be able to stand on its own. You also need to make sure you have an overarching arc that lends itself to a sequel or two.

As far as querying a series is concerned, you most likely don’t want to tell agents it’s a series. Not yet. Most agents don’t want to know you’ve got a seven-book series in the works when you query them because they want to be convinced the first is worth their time.

Being that there are this many stars in this movie and no one's ever heard of it (have they??) you'd thinking keeping mum wouldn't be a good idea. But in terms of querying a series, it is.

HOWEVER, when Suzi Agent is interested in your book and trends toward offering representation, she will ask you what else you’re working on—usually by way of a phone call—and that would be the time to spill.

Waiting until this conversation for the sequel/series reveal will work for you in a few ways.

First, it shows you’re savvy—you didn’t bombard her with grandiose plans of your multimillion-dollar series, like so many amateurs do. Nope—you did what you had to do in order to ensure the first book was submission ready. Go, you! And that tells her you’ve most likely been (or will be) just as careful in developing the rest of the books as you were with book 1.

As well, it shows you’re a hard worker. Plotting out a series isn’t easy. If you’ve got the chops to do something like that, it demonstrates you’re serious and tough—definitely in the top 10 requirements for being a novelist.

Hope this helps—and good luck with however you decide to handle your sitch!

Like this:

“In the Blogosphere” is a weekly series, which lists links to writing-related blogs I’ve stumbled upon throughout a given week. Most posts will be from that week, but if I find some “oldies but goodies,” I’ll throw those up here as well.

I never find as much time to read blogs as I want, but here are a few posts that struck me this week.

RESOURCES

If you didn’t see my post about theShenandoah Writers Query Symposium I’m helming, please check it out. I’m looking to compile some of best query-writing resources out there and discuss them with my writing groups. I plan to turn this “symposium” into a series of blog posts, so even if you’re not a member of Shenandoah Writers, give me your two cents (i.e., comment or e-mail with your favorite query resources or tips). A few brave souls have even given me queries they’ve written so we can critique them, so there are multiple ways you can get involved.

I recently discovered young adult fiction writer Jamie Harrington‘s blog, Totally the Bomb.com (love that name, BTW!). And I’ve already found two posts I love. In this one, Harrington talks about five clichés used in young adult lit. And in this one, she dissects the classic love triangle.

My favorite thing about this picture is that they actually made Taylor Lautner stand on a box. Hilarious!

This is another oldie but goodie, but at her blog, The Bookshelf Muse, the Jill Corcoran-repped kids’ lit author Angela Ackerman has a great resource for conveying emotion through a character’s body language. It’s not just for overcoming the five clichés Harrington outlines above, and it’s not just for juvenile lit. In this post, Ackerman introduces the idea of the “emotion thesaurus,” (which provides alternatives to having a character shrug his shoulders or roll his eyes). If you look in her sidebar on the right, she’s got a slew of entries under The Emotional Thesaurus.

Here, Friedman provides a complete list of links to all the posts in Adam’s 13-part series.

And the good folks over at guardian.co.uk‘s Book Blogtalk about character names in fantasy (but the post will interest writers of all genres)—with special attention to The Series that Need Not Be Named.

Are you a Jane Austen fan? Adept at writing queries? Here’s a contest over at Getting Past the Gatekeeper that combines both of these things—write a query as if you wrote, and are pitching, Pride and Prejudice!

. . . and in the same post, it was announced that young adult fantasy author Beth Revis signed a huuuuuge three-book deal (I don’t really know her, but we have some mutual friends and I’m deciding to share in her excitement).